Impossible-to-resist pistachio baklava with lots of phyllo pastry, syrup, and pistachios is a delicious Mediterranean dessert that everyone will love.

A serving plate with pistachio baklava pieces.

Overview

What is a baklava

Baklava is a syrupy dessert made of lots of sheets of phyllo pastry. The sheets were buttered and layered with honey, syrup, and nuts. It is a common dessert of Greek, Iranian, Turkish, and Arab cuisines. Each region slightly tweaks the recipe to make it unique.

Modern baklava may have been originated in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire, then modified in Greece.

This pistachio baklava is the Constantinople (or Istanbul) version. I wanted to honor my paternal grandma Evgenia, an amazing woman from Poli, as Greeks still call the famous city. She was a Greek born in Constantinople at the beginning of the 2Oth century, in a big Greek community. She was one of the best cooks I have ever met. Her family gatherings are legendary for her culinary creations and the warm, welcoming atmosphere. Grandma Evgenia’s desserts were the real deal; you could not find anything like them at any shop. I hope she would enjoy this baklava.

How to make this pistachio baklava

Ingredients

Unshelled pistachio nuts
Unsalted good quality butter or ghee melted
Phyllo pastry sheets defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
Sugar
Lemon

Broken pistachios pieces on a dark surface.

Using a mortar and pestle, ground the pistachios until coarsely minced. You can also chop them by hand with a sharp knife. You can use a food processor if you prefer but be extra cautious not to ground them too fine. The food processor method is not the most ideal because it releases the nut’s oils and changes the baklava flavor.
Heat oven to 400° F.
Brush the inside of a deep 10-by-15-inch baking pan with butter.
Trim the phyllo sheets with scissors to fit the bottom of your baking dish. Always cover phyllo layers with a lightly damp kitchen towel and keep covered.
Place two pieces of phyllo on the bottom of the baking pan; drizzle with butter.
Layer two phyllo sheets at a time, drizzling with butter as you go until 20 or so sheets are used.
Spread the broken pistachios on the phyllo in an even layer, then layer with the remaining phyllo, using the same drizzling method with butter every two sheets until 20 or so sheets are used.
Carefully, using a sharp knife, score the pastry into square or diamond shape pieces. Make sure to cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan. Pour the remaining butter evenly all over the pan.
Bake baklava until the top is golden brown, for about 45 minutes, but it could take an hour or a little more depending on your oven.
When the baklava is baked through and has a lovely golden brown color, remove it from the oven and let it cool a little. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Keep oven hot.

Make the syrup and finish the baklava.

In a medium pot, combine the sugar with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest.
Pour the hot syrup all over the lukewarm baklava. Some may overflow, so place the baklava pan on a rack and a rimmed baking sheet.
Put the pan back into the hot oven for about 5 minutes. Remove baklava and let it cool completely before serving.

Tips

Get the best quality pistachios you can find. They are key to the success of this recipe.
I use unsalted grass-fed butter, and sometimes I use ghee. Ghee is great for baklava.
Baklava will be at its best after 24 hours. Grate some lemon zest on top for serving.

Check out these recipes

A lovely berry mascarpone tart is a great and easy dessert.
A sweet and tangy Meyer lemon ginger tart will wow fans of lemony desserts.
These traditional (with my twist) peinirli – Greek pizza boats are delicious.
Another great recipe is this pie with pastourma & kasseri.

Greek Pistachio Baklava

by Jenny Skrapaliori Graves

Greek pistachio baklava, the Politiki way: thin phyllo, sweet pistachios, and no spice at all. It bakes in a low oven so the nuts keep their colour, then takes hot lemon syrup slowly, a ladle at a time. Makes about 32 small pieces, and it is better on the second day.

5 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine Greek

Servings 32 pieces

Calories 233 kcal

Equipment

Food processor
10-inch round metal pan
Medium saucepan

Ingredients

For the baklava

▢ 250 grams raw unsalted shelled pistachios
▢ 250 gr unsalted butter , 50 g soft for the pan, 200 g melted for the sheets
▢ 2 packages phyllo, 450 g each, the thinnest you can find

For the syrup

▢ 600 gr granulated sugar
▢ 500 ml water
▢ 3 lemon slices

To finish

▢ 40 gr raw unsalted pistachios, ground finer and set aside

Instructions

1. Grind the pistachios coarse in a food processor with the sugar, pulsing rather than running it. Remove 40 g, grind it finer, and set aside for the garnish.
2. Unroll one package of phyllo and lay the sheets flat. Set the pan upside down on top and cut around it so every sheet matches the pan. Return the trimmed stack to its plastic sleeve. Repeat with the second package. Save the trimmings for another use.
3. Melt 200 g of the butter gently, without letting it color.
4. Butter the pan thoroughly with the remaining 50 g of soft butter.
5. Lay the first package of trimmed sheets into the pan one at a time, brushing each with melted butter.
6. Spread the ground pistachios over the surface in an even layer.
7. Lay the second package of trimmed sheets on top, brushing each with melted butter. Tuck the edges down inside the pan and pour any remaining butter over.
8. Refrigerate 30 minutes, until the butter is firm.
9. Cut all the way through to the base of the pan, into diamonds, using a long sharp knife.
10. Mist the surface lightly with water.
11. Bake at 170°C / 340°F, conventional heat, middle rack, for 30 minutes, until golden.
12. Reduce the oven to 150°C / 300°F. Meanwhile, bring the sugar, water and lemon slices to the boil.
13. Remove the baklava. Pour off any pooled butter.
14. Pour the hot syrup over the hot baklava slowly, a ladle at a time, letting each addition absorb before adding more.
15. Scatter the reserved ground pistachio over each diamond.
16. Cool completely, uncovered and out of the fridge, before serving. Best on the second or third day.

Notes

Phyllo: use the thinnest available. Sheet counts vary between brands and do not matter — two 450 g packages is the measure.

Trimming to a round pan leaves a lot of offcuts; save them for tiropitakia.

Butter: tested against ghee. Plain butter gives the better flavour. Do not refrigerate the finished baklava. It softens the phyllo.

Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only an estimate and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 87mgPotassium: 111mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 233IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg

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